The North Side hat gets its name from its textured moss stitch motif! It knits up into a beanie that fits average adults (which means it also fits large-headed kids: about 21-23” is best, but it looks all right on the 20” circumference styrofoam model, too) and features some subtle but effective shaping to create shallow earflaps.

This shaping gives you more coverage on the sides and less in the front, which is a pretty good option for a mild winter hat in my opinion. (This would obviously be a good option for a hapless baby, since it is sometimes a problem to get keep a hat snugged down on a baby’s ears but out of a baby’s eyes, and I think a toddler-to-older-baby size can be done simply by reducing the gauge and working in sock weight yarn, but I haven’t done a sample like that yet.)

To knit this hat, you’ll need:
-to work at a gauge of 22 sts and 40 rounds in 4” of garter stitch
-130 yards of Cascade Yarns Longwood Sport or a good substitute sportweight yarn
-one 16” circular needle in size to get gauge (most will start with US3-4/3.25-3.5mm needles)
-one set of DPNs in size needed for gauge
-4 st markets
-tapestry needle

The sample is knit in Longwood sport in Colorway 08.